I love coming to Diwali to pick up some unique scarves to bring home as gifts from Paris. When I visited Paris for the first time in 2011, I grabbed a bunch of these to give to my mom, sisters, and... myself. Yes, I totally got one for myself and still use it to this day.
While in France a couple of weeks ago, I stopped by Diwali as I was roaming the 5th arrondissement (otherwise known as the Latin Quarter, or Latin quartier), because I had two friends that I thought I could find gifts for here. Because of the bright colors and its placement in such a popular district of Paris, this place is frequented by tourists so you will get friendlier service than you may experience in other places in the city, as well as quite fluent English speakers. Though I am more or less acclimated now to the cultural difference between the States and France, I won't lie that I am relieved whenever I get warm customer service when in Paris.
I wandered around the store after a couple sweet ladies asked if I needed help. They told me of the specials and encouraged me to try the scarves, pointing to the mirrors to let me know that touching won't be reprimanded. After moving throughout the store, touching the fabrics and flipping through the multitude of colors available for each style, I settled on two beautiful scarves for my two good friends. The colors and fabrics were perfect for the each of them and I thought they represented their tastes and personalities well.
The first girl who greeted me ended up ringing me up. She was sweet and placed each scarf in its own Diwali bag, stapled with a Diwali business card in the color of the scarf, to help me later distinguish between the two. It was a nice gesture, which I remembered was done the few years before that I visited.
Scarves are great gifts to take home, as they are soft and pliable (so they'll be easy to stuff in your luggage), lightweight, useful, and fashionable (in a classic way). If you are unsure what to buy for special ladies (maybe even men, just be prudent in pattern and color choice) in your life when you're visiting Paris, check out the scarves and accessories at Diwali. You'll be glad of the nice, smiling faces and non-pushy attention. read more